Should Derrick White or Jaylen Brown replace Kawhi Leonard in Team USA?

Both Derrick White and Jaylen Brown find themselves as potential favorites to replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA. On Wednesday, news emerged indicating that Leonard had withdrawn from the Team USA roster, opening the door for either Derrick White or Jaylen Brown to fill in for the NBA Finals MVP. The big question, of course, is which of the two Boston Celtics stars will be selected.

According to longtime NBA Insider Shams Charania, Derrick White is currently the favorite to replace Leonard. Despite that, Jaylen Brown has an incredibly strong case for the spot, highlighted by the three-time All-Star's recent Finals MVP win.

Over the course of the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, Brown repeatedly rose to the occasion in crunch time. A great example was his Game 1 buzzer-beater in the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers to force OT.

The following game, Jaylen Brown then rose to the occasion again, dropping 40 points in a 126-110 win that saw him and the Celtics take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. Given his ability to impact a game at the highest level, and his status as the reigning Finals MVP, it’s hard to argue against Jaylen Brown’s case.

The one area that Derrick White’s case has an edge on Brown, of course, is on the defensive end of the floor. As one of, if not the single best, shot-blocking guards in the league, Derrick White would certainly bolster the team’s defense, impacting the game without necessarily needing to have the ball in his hands.

Given that Team USA has just over two weeks before playing in their first Olympic Group Phase game, expect them to act fast.

Looking at Derrick White and Jaylen Brown’s regular season stats and postseason stats

Derrick White and Jaylen Brown both have a case for replacing Kawhi Leonard on Team USA based on their playstyles. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 2023-24 stats for both players.

Jaylen Brown

Regular season stats

23.0 ppg | 5.5 rpg | 3.6 apg | 1.2 spg | .5 bpg | 49.9% FG% | 35.4% 3P% | 70.3% FT%

Postseason stats

23.9 ppg | 5.9 rpg | 3.3 apg | 1.2 spg | .6 bpg | 51.6% FG% | 32.7% 3P% | 66.0% FT%

Derrick White

Regular season stats

15.2 ppg | 4.2 rpg | 5.2 apg | 1.0 spg | 1.2 bpg | 46.1% FG% | 39.6 3P% | 90.1 FT%

Postseason stats

16.7 ppg | 4.3 rpg | 4.1 apg | .9 spg | 1.2 bpg | 45.2% FG% | 40.4 3P% | 92.1 FT%

Why was Kawhi Leonard forced to withdraw from Team USA?

Kawhi Leonard’s withdrawal from Team USA was somewhat surprising. While the LA star wound up missing time in the playoffs, it appeared as though he has since been healthy. On the heels of his withdrawal, Team USA released a statement via X, formerly known as Twitter.From the sounds of things, Leonard isn’t necessarily hurt, but rather is trying to play it safe when it comes to his health.

“Kawhi has been ramping up for the Olympics over the past several weeks and had a few strong practices in Las Vegas. He telt ready to compete.

However, he respects that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it's in his best interest to spend the remainder of the summer preparing for the upcoming season rather than participating in the Olympic Games in Paris.”